Calibrachoa plant named ‘Kakegawa S63’

ABSTRACT

‘Kakegawa S63’ is a new variety of  Calibrachoa  plant. This new variety has red-purple petal lobes with purple petal lobe veins and dark green foliage.

Genus/species: Calibrachoa species.

Varietal denomination: ‘Kakegawa S63’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Kakegawa S63’ originated from a hybridization made in November 1998 inKakegawa, Japan. The female parent was a Calibrachoa breeding line witha deep blue flower color and mounding habit known as 8B-48 (notpatented). The male parent was a Calibrachoa breeding line with deeprose colored flowers and mounding habit and short internode length knownas 97-1176 (not patented).

In February 1999, F₁ seed from this cross was sown and latertransplanted outdoors. The F₁ plants were rose, magenta or blue inflower color and ranged from semi-creeping to compact in habit. Three,single-plant selections were made from the F₁ generation andvegetatively propagated. In February 2002, these selections wereevaluated in 9 cm hanging pots in a greenhouse as well as in an openfield. One selection was chosen based on the trial.

The selection was further evaluated from new vegetative plants inSalinas, Calif. during 2003. The selection was subsequently named‘Kakegawa S63’ ‘Kakegawa S63’ was asexually reproduced by stem cuttingsin Salinas, Calif. and was determined to reproduce true to type insuccessive generations of asexual propagation.

DESCRIPTION OF PHOTOGRAPH

This new Calibrachoa plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographwhich shows blooms and foliage of the plant in full color. The colorsshown being as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventionalphotographic procedures.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up view of flowers.

FIG. 2 shows the entire plant.

DESCRIPTION OF THE GENUS CALIBRACHOA LLAVE & LEX

The genus Petunia was originally established in 1803 by A. L. Jussieu,who described both P. parviflora and P. nyctaginiflora as type species.Using a non-horticultural system that selected the first mentionedspecies as the type species (lectotype), N. L. Britton and H. A. Browndeclared P. parviflora as the type species for Petunia in 1913.

During the 1980's and 1990, H. J. Wijsman published a series of articlesregarding the ancestry of P. hybrida, the Garden Petunia, and theinter-relationship of several species classified as Petunia. Thesestudies discovered that P. hybrida and its ancestral species, P.nyctaginiflora (=P. axillaris) and P. violacea (=P. integrifolia),possessed 14 pairs of chromosomes while several other species, includingP. parviflora, possessed 18 pairs of chromosomes. Since P. parviflorawas the lectotype species for the Petunia genus, Wijsman and J. H. deJong proposed transferring the 14 chromosome species to the genusStimoryne. Horticulturists opposed reclassifying the Garden Petunia andin 1986, Wijsman proposed the alternative of making P. nyctaginiflorathe lectotype species for Petunia and transferring the 18 chromosomespecies to another genus. The I. N. G. Committee adopted this proposal.By 1990, Wijsman had transferred several species, including P.parviflora (=C. parviflora) to Calibrachoa, originally established byLlave and Lexarza in 1825. Calibrachoa parviflora (=C. mexicana Llave &Lexarza) is now the type species for the genus Calibrachoa.

Classification of the current Petunia and Calibrachoa species is stillin progress. New species are also being identified. Consequently, aproper description has not been written for the Calibrachoa genus.Calibrachoa can, however, be distinguished from Petunia based on thehigher chromosome number, chromosome morphology, plant branching habitand type of flower bud aestivation. Whereas Petunia species bear aflower peduncle and one new stem from a node, Calibrachoa bear a flowerpeduncle and three stems. Petunia species have a cochlear corolla bud, asingle outermost petal covers the other four, radially folded andterminally contorted petals. Calibrachoa flower buds are flat with allfive petals linearly folded and the two lower petals forming a coveraround the three other petals and fused together.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR PLANT GROWTH

The terminal 1.0 to 1.5 inches of an actively growing stem was excised.The vegetative cuttings were propagated in five to six weeks. The baseof the cuttings were dipped for 1 to 2 seconds in a 1:9 solution of DIP'N GROW (1 DIP 'N GROW: 9 water) root-inducing solution immediatelyprior to sticking into the cell trays. Cuttings were stuck into plasticcell trays having 98 cells and containing a moistened peat moss-basedgrowing medium. The cuttings were misted with water from overhead for 10seconds every 30 minutes until sufficient roots were formed.

Rooted cuttings were transplanted and grown in 20.0 cm diameter plasticpots in a glass greenhouse located in Salinas, Calif. Pots contained apeat moss-based growing medium. Soluble fertilizer containing 20%nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and 20% potassium was applied once a day orevery other day by overhead irrigation. Pots were top-dressed with adry, slow release fertilizer containing 20% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and18% potassium. The typical average air temperature was 24° C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PLANT

Data below collected on plants four months from rooted cutting andtransplanted into 20.0 cm diameter pots. Color references are to theR.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London(R.H.S.). The following traits and characteristics describe the newvariety.

-   Classification:    -   -   Family.—Solanaceae.        -   Species.—Calibrachoa sp.        -   Common names.—Calibrachoa.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female parent.—Breeding line 8B-48 (not patented).        -   Male parent.—Breeding line 97-1176 (not patented).-   Growth:    -   -   Habit.—Decumbent.        -   Height.—13.0-15.0 cm.        -   Spread.—40.0-45.0 cm for one plant when grown in a 20.0 cm            diameter pot.        -   Life cycle.—Perennial.        -   Form.—Branching, dense, compact (shorter internode lengths).        -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—6 weeks.        -   Time to bloom from propagation.—10 weeks.        -   Flowering requirements.—Will flower so long as day length is            greater than 12 hours and temperatures exceed 13° C.        -   Resistance/susceptibility.—Excellent resistance to rain,            heat and drought. Will not tolerate temperature below 10° C.            Plants are susceptible to Botrytis, powdery mildew, various            stem and root rots and certain viruses, like Tobacco Mosaic            Virus and Impatiens Necrotic Spotted Virus. Plants can be            infested with aphids, leafminer, whitefly and various            Lepidoptera.-   Stems:    -   -   Stem color.—RHS 144B (yellow-green).        -   Anthocyanin color.—RHS N77A (purple).        -   Pubescence.—Heavy.        -   Pubescence color.—Whitish.        -   Stem description.—Round.        -   Stem length.—1.5 cm-2.0 cm.        -   Stem diameter.—1.8-2.1 mm.        -   Internode length.—0.5-1.0 cm.-   Leaves:    -   -   Leaf arrangement.—Alternate.        -   Leaf shape.—Elliptical.        -   Leaf tip.—Mucronate.        -   Leaf base.—Decurrent.        -   Leaf margin.—Entire.        -   Leaf surface.—Rough, dull.        -   Leaf length.—2.3-2.7 cm.        -   Leaf width.—0.7-1.0 cm.        -   Leaf color.—Upper: RHS 137A (green); Lower: RHS 138B            (green).        -   Leaf surface pubescence.—Slight.        -   Leaf surface pubescence color.—RHS N155B (white).        -   Petiole length.—2.0 mm.        -   Petiole color.—RHS 138B (green).        -   Venation.—Pinnate.-   Flowers:    -   -   Inflorescence type.—Solitary.        -   Flowering habit.—Indeterminate.        -   Duration of flower life.—5 days.        -   Shape.—The flowers are funnel shaped with five fissures.        -   Flower depth.—2.0 cm-2.5 cm.        -   Floral tube length.—1.3 cm-1.5 cm.        -   Floral tube diameter.—0.4 cm-0.5 cm.        -   Flower diameter.—2.5-3.0 cm.        -   Calyx.—5 sepals, free.        -   Sepal shape.—Lanceolate.        -   Sepal apex.—Mucronate.        -   Sepal margin.—Entire.        -   Sepal color.—RHS 143A (green).        -   Bud shape.—Ovate.        -   Bud length.—1.5 cm.        -   Bud diameter.—0.3 cm-0.4 cm.        -   Bud surface.—Pubescent.        -   Bud color.—RHS 8D (yellow).        -   Peduncle length.—0.7-1.1 cm.        -   Peduncle color.—RHS 144C (yellow green).        -   Ovary.—Superior.        -   Pistil number.—1.        -   Stigma color.—RHS 150C (yellow).        -   Style color.—RHS 149B (yellow-green).        -   Corolla.—5 petals, fused.        -   Petal shape.—Spatulate.        -   Petal apex.—Truncate.        -   Petal margin.—Entire.        -   Petal pubescence.—Glabrous.        -   Petal size.—0.6-0.7 cm×0.9-1.0 cm.        -   Petal color.—Lobes: upper RHS N74A (red-purple) with RHS 79C            (purple) veins; lower RHS 77A (purple) with RHS 79C (purple)            veins; Corolla tube: inner RHS 2A (yellow) with RHS 79C            (purple) veins; outer RHS 2B (yellow) with RHS 79C (purple)            veins.        -   Stamen number.—5, free.        -   Stamen color.—RHS 150C (yellow-green).        -   Pollen color.—RHS 8B (yellow).        -   Fragrance.—Absent.        -   Seed production.—None.

COMPARISON WITH MOST SIMILAR VARIETY

‘Kakegawa S63’ is a distinct variety of Calibrachoa owing to its shortinternode lengths, which lead to a compact growth habit, and purplepetal lobe veins. ‘Kakegawa S63’ is most similar to the variety,‘Colorburst Rose’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,147); however, there aredifferences as shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 ‘Kakegawa S63’ ‘Colorburst Rose’ Internode Length 0.5-1.0 cm1.5-2.0 cm Petal Color Upper Upper petal color is RHS Upper petal coloris RHS N74A (red-purple) with 74B (red-purple) with veins of RHS 79C(purple) veins of RHS 202A and an inner corolla tube (black) and purpletinge. of RHS 2A (yellow).

Some differences between ‘Kakegawa S63’ and its parental lines are shownin Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Characteristic ‘Kakegawa S63’ Male (97-1176) Female (8B-48)Petal Color Upper RHS N74A Deep rose Deep blue (red-purple) HabitDecumbent Mounding Mounding Internode Length 0.5-1.0 cm 0.5-1.0 cm1.0-1.7 cm

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa plant as shown anddescribed herein.